I recently had lunch with the President (who is a good friend) and some of the other faculty members of the seminary where I teach. During the conversation, the President turned to me and asked, “So, Rob, where are you going to church these days?” I immediately wondered if my position at the seminary was in jeopardy.
I can’t help but consider whether the Church resembles a burning building today. I am not suggesting that it has simply become corrupted. I wonder if it was built with flammable materials.
If this is so, perhaps our goal shouldn’t be to repair the structure but to rescue as many people as possible before it burns to the ground. And then construct something entirely different. After all, if we reconstruct it as it is, will we not just refashion a building made of flammable materials?
What if the problem isn’t just corruption in the Church? What if the Church has become something it was never meant to be? What if the struggles we face were never meant to exist in the first place?
NB: When I say “The Church,” I mainly refer to the American (evangelical) Church. After all, this is my tribe and the one I am most familiar with. It is also the one in which my personal story takes place.
“Maybe we got it all wrong.”
The moment the Netflix series The Chosen truly sold me was in Season 1, Episode 3. The scene begins with children discovering Jesus encamped outside the city. While gently instructing them, Jesus turns and says, “Maybe we got it all wrong.”
Exactly! Maybe we got it all wrong.
Deconstructing or Reconstructing?
Contrary to popular belief, “deconstructing” does not mean leaving the faith: Quite the opposite. What many fail to understand about those who are deconstructing their faith is that they’re not walking away from Jesus, far from it. Most who are deconstructing are ardently seeking Jesus.
About a year ago, I had a conversation with another leader. We were lamenting the state of the Church. Yet even in our disgust, we remained committed to Christianity because of a deep, unshakable belief in Jesus.
Over the next series of posts, I will share some of my story—most of which I’ve never spoken about publicly—and where I am in my journey.
You should know that my journey has been filtered through the lens of a deep conviction that the Church is the body of Christ. This conviction has anchored me through seasons of what I now recognize as trauma and serious doubt.
I have held on to my faith primarily because of my conviction that Jesus really is the Christ. In addition, my faith has been buoyed by two other convictions.
First is the recognition that there have always been faithful followers of Jesus—individuals and communities who have represented Christ in marvelous ways.
Second, my understanding of the Book of Revelation (and the New Testament as a whole) has provided another perspective in the midst of struggle. I believe that the Church, as the body of Christ, is the aim of the enemy’s efforts.
The enemy is at war with the Church, and he knows what he is doing. Why should we not be surprised to learn that the Church has lost much of the battle? The Devil has infiltrated the Church and brought deception into its midst.
I recognize that this is to be expected. Jesus even warned the disciples, “See to it that no one misleads you” (Mark 13:5).
Yet, I am convinced that the Devil has not only deceived us, but he has done such a good job that we are not only unaware of it, but we are convinced that it is everyone else who is deceived!
This conviction has allowed me to navigate through the troubled waters of what I see as the evangelical church. But it also makes it quite problematic for those who attempt to speak up.
Most are convinced that these prophetic voices are misled. After all, they plead for us to look at how well the Church is doing. But is it doing well, or have we been misled?
. . . to be continued
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